


The Last Star Left in Heaven

by novacorpsrecruit



Category: Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Comicverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort, I guess???, Identity Porn, M/M, sometimes you just get sucked into an alternate universe made by your five year old nephew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 05:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20700755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novacorpsrecruit/pseuds/novacorpsrecruit
Summary: Johnny's birthday party was picture perfect. Gold and white balloons surrounded the Baxter Building’s event space. Champagne bubbles overflowed onto the tower of glasses. A gorgeous cupcake display lined the far windows with the perfect view of New York City. Everything should’ve been perfect for a star birthday.Except it wasn’t. He kept looking over his shoulder – looking for something. Someone.





	The Last Star Left in Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've heard "Star Birthday" also referred to as a champagne birthday and a golden birthday, but star felt the most fitting. Title is from blink-182 because i have a shitty taste in music and don't have anything better.
> 
> "The last star left in Heaven, is falling down to Earth and do you still feel the same way?" -- 'Here's Your Letter' blink-182

The party was picture perfect.

At least, according to Johnny’s Instagram stories.

Gold and white balloons surrounded the Baxter Building’s event space. Champagne bubbles overflowed onto the tower of glasses. Waiters carried trays of hors d'oeuvres to the guests. The music was so loud, you almost had to shout to hear the person next to you. A gorgeous cupcake display lined the far windows with the perfect view of New York City.

Everything should’ve been perfect for a star birthday.

Except it wasn’t.

Johnny stayed busy and active. He had a smile on his face and laughed at every joke. He danced and he should’ve enjoyed the night. He was surrounded by friends. And friends of friends. And some famous names who all cared about seeing Johnny and his party. He should be happy.

But he kept looking over his shoulder – looking for something. _Someone_.

The party thinned, many thanked him for the invitation and hoped to see him next celebration. And by one in the morning, Johnny was alone again, sitting at the kitchen island with a plateful of cupcakes left. He brought them up for his family. He celebrated his birthday with them over dinner, but wanted a big celebration with friends. But it just didn’t sit with him right.

“Johnny?” Sue’s voice carried from around the corner. She walked into the kitchen with a tired Franklin right behind her. Franklin wiped his nose with the back of his hand before quickly wiping his eyes. “What are you still doing up?”

“Can’t sleep,” Johnny reached out for Franklin who gladly went into Johnny’s arms. Franklin tucked himself into Johnny’s chest. Johnny held him tight, feeling the tears that he was attempting to hold back. Franklin always tried to be tough around Johnny. And Johnny always tried to be tough around Franklin. “You too, little man?”

“Yeah,” Franklin said, wiping his eyes again. “Bad dream.”

“Those are the worst,” Johnny said, rubbing his back. “You want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Franklin said.

“We came down for a glass of water,” Sue said, handing the cup to Franklin. He took a small sip and leaned back into Johnny. “We didn’t want to talk about it upstairs either.”

“Sometimes, talking about it makes you feel better,” Johnny said.

Franklin shrugged. Johnny figured he wasn’t going to get Franklin to talk.

“How was your party Johnny?” Sue asked, knowing Franklin wasn’t going to talk about his nightmare.

“It was –“ Johnny hesitated, shaking his head back and forth debating himself for the right word. “Good.”

“That was convincing,” Sue said.

“It was good,” Johnny repeated, more confidently. “I just … wished it was better.”

“Better how?” Sue asked, sitting down next to Johnny.

“I … I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Sometimes, talking about it makes you feel better,” Sue said, her voice filled half with comfort, half with teasing.

Johnny pouted.

He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t even want to acknowledge it. He didn’t want his words used against him. It wasn’t fair for Sue to pull both the big brother and the mom card on him.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “It’s like, everyone who was someone was there. I had a lot of friends there. Wyatt and Jen even made it. But it’s … it felt lonely.”

“Lonely?”

“Well, not lonely,” Johnny said. “But I kept looking for –“ He stopped and thought about how he wanted to phrase it. “I invited Spider-Man. I was hoping he would come. I just – I thought we were best friends.”

“Maybe he wanted to come,” Sue suggested. “But the mask –“

“I told him nobody would care,” Johnny interrupted. “There were going to be other heroes in and out. Nobody would blink twice at him. Everyone knows we’re friends.”

“He might still feel awkward,” Sue said. “Being the only one in costume would feel weird.”

“I don’t know, Sue,” Johnny said. “It just … hurt that he didn’t come. It just felt like he didn’t care about me.”

“But you had several other friends there,” Sue said. “They all care about you.”

“Yeah, but –“ Johnny stopped, trying to figure out how to phrase it. He sighed, giving up. “They’re not _him_. I just wanted him to show up.”

“It sounds like it’s more than just him not showing up,” Sue said.

Johnny shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I know he doesn’t feel the same about me. I just wish he did.”

“I know,” Sue said, standing up and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. She walked further back into the kitchen and dug in the so-called junk cabinet and pulled out a box of candles and a book of matches. She moved a single cupcake off the platter and towards Johnny. She pulled out a candle and stuck it in the top of the cupcake, striking a match and lit the top of the candle.

“You know I could’ve done that,” Johnny said, with a small laugh.

“I know,” Sue said, shaking the match out. “But sometimes, you need someone else to light your fire. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

“Thanks, Sue,” Johnny said, smiling. He pressed a kiss against the top of Franklin’s head. “And thanks, Franklin for listening.”

“Make a wish!” Franklin said. “Blow out the candle before all the magic is gone.”

Johnny laughed and pressed another kiss against Franklin’s head. “Thanks for cheering me up, pal. You always know how to make me happy.”

Johnny closed his eyes and blew out the candle. He kind of hated to admit that he actually made a wish, but part of him thought that if he didn’t, Franklin would know.

“Mom, can I have one?” Franklin asked.

“No honey,” Sue said. “It’s late, and we need to go back to bed.”

“C’mon, I’ll tuck you in,” Johnny said. He pulled the candle out of the cupcake and laid it on the counter. “I’ll save my cupcake for tomorrow and we both can have one together.”

“For breakfast?”

“After lunch,” Sue said.

“It’s something we can look forward to,” Johnny said, picking up Franklin to carry him. “Tell your momma good night.”

“Good night, momma,” Franklin called as Johnny carried him to his room. Franklin was almost too old to be carried, Sue stresses that she wants him to be more independent, but Johnny still carried him. Especially on late nights like this. He knew Sue wasn’t going argue with him. Franklin’s had a rough night. Johnny too. They both needed some comfort.

Johnny set Franklin back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. He tucked him in tightly and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “I promise you, whatever your dream was about can’t hurt you,” Johnny said. “I got you tucked in tightly, nothing can get you, okay?”

Franklin nodded. Johnny kissed his forehead again and started toward the bedroom door.

“Mole Man,” Franklin said.

“What?” Johnny said, turning toward Franklin.

“It was Mole Man,” Franklin said. “In my dream.”

“I promise you, Mole Man couldn’t even _think_ about hurting you before any of the Fantastic Four got to his doorstep.” Johnny sat back down on Franklin’s bed. “I know there’s a lot of bad guys out there, but there’s more good guys in the world. You got me, your mom, your dad, Uncle Ben, The Hulk –“

“And Spider-Man?”

“Yeah,” Johnny said softly. “Even Spider-Man. We will all protect you, okay? Nobody will ever hurt you.”

“Okay,” Franklin nodded.

“You sleep well, alright?” Johnny said, ruffling Franklin’s hair. “Dream of that cupcake we’re gonna eat after lunch.”

“Okay,” Franklin said. “Good night, Uncle Johnny.”

“Good night, Franklin,” Johnny said, slowly closing Franklin’s bedroom door.

Johnny went to his room and crashed on his bed. There’s some days that he wished he had Sue’s powers instead of his own. He just wanted to disappear, dissolve into the mattress to the box spring.

He hated how much he cared about Spider-Man. How much he cared that he wasn’t there tonight. He hated how much he wanted to forget him all together and having a desire to know more about him at the same time.

He hated how much he loved Spider-Man.

He buried his face in the pillow and groaned. He just wanted to punch Spider-Man in the face – he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to use his fist or his lips first.

He just wished Spider-Man cared as much as he did.

That would make him happy.

He rolled over and looked toward the ceiling. He’ll feel better in the morning. Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. He just needed to shower and go to sleep.

At least, that was the plan.

A weird, echoing swooshing noise filled the hallway. A bright light flashed quickly through the seams of the door.

“God, this is gonna be bad,” Johnny said, getting up. He couldn’t ignore it. Not as a superhero. Not as a member of the Fantastic Four. Not after telling Franklin that he was going to protect him.

He opened the door cautiously. The bright light flashed again. A powerful gust of wind came from the source of the light. Johnny lost his grip on the door and covered his eyes from the flash. He reached out, attempting to find the wall to walk to safety, to find Franklin.

His feet weren’t touching the ground anymore.

“Shit –“ He quickly turned around to reach for the door, eyes shut tightly. He grabbed the door knob – feeling something soft.

He tightened his grip, the not-door-knob folded into his hand, too soft to be any part of the door. Way too soft. He slowly moved his hand away from his face, cautious of the bright light, to see that he was nowhere near his door.

He was in his bed, grasping at the pillow on the other side of the bed. He lifted his head to the bright morning light.

“What the fuck,” he said, rolling over. He ran his fingers through his hair and laid his hand on his bare chest.

When did he go to bed?

Johnny felt clean, he doesn’t even remember showering. How long did he sleep?

He rolled over to look at his phone.

A knock at his window pulled his attention from his phone.

He looked over his shoulder and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

Spider-Man stood outside, finding perfect balance between the small window sill and the glass itself. His mask was rolled up to his nose, allowing Johnny to see his gentle smile. He gave a soft wave, as if Johnny didn’t see him.

Johnny wanted to jump out of bed and let him in.

But he was still mad at him for last night. He deserved to be left outside.

Johnny sighed and decided to meet somewhere in the middle. He slowly climbed out of bed and rubbed his eyes as he walked to the other side of the room. He pushed the window up, stepping back to let Spider-Man climb inside.

Johnny wanted to chew him out.

He wanted to yell at him. Complain at him. Tell him that the loved him.

But before he could find the right words – or _any_ words – Spider-Man kissed him.

He wrapped his arm around Johnny’s waist and pulled him in for a long, gentle kiss.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Spider-Man said, pressing a bouquet of sunflowers and white roses into Johnny’s hand. “Happy birthday.”

“I – what?”

“Your birthday,” Spider-Man repeated. He ran his thumb gently over Johnny’s cheek.

“You kissed me.”

“Yeah,” Spider-Man said, nonchalantly. “You’re the birthday boy, why shouldn’t I kiss you?”

Johnny woke up just fine, but he now he feels as if he was hit with a dump truck.

He knows something’s wrong – something’s up. Whether or not his heart agrees with his gut, he knows that even if Spider-Man woke up one morning and decided he loved him – that he really loved Johnny – he wouldn’t act like everything is normal. Hell, Johnny wasn’t sure if Spider-Man would even tell him. Which made Johnny want to kiss Spider-Man again – to soak up in the affection before it’s taken away from him. He wanted more.

“I … today’s not my birthday,” Johnny frowned, giving in to ignorance and finding a different focus. Is that why he didn’t show up yesterday? Did he think his birthday was today? “My birthday was yesterday. You missed the party.**”**

“No, it’s today.” Even under the mask, Johnny could see Spider-Man’s brow wrinkle. “I couldn’t forget the date if I tried. You’ve been talking about your meteor birthday for weeks.”

“Star birthday,” Johnny corrected. Johnny wanted to run his hand down Spider-Man’s chest, following the webs to the spider in the center. He ran his thumb over a petal instead. “It was yesterday. I literally posted about it on Instagram. See, look –“ Johnny pulled away from Peter’s grip and walked to grab his phone. He held the flowers close to him as he opened the app and waited for his story to load.

Except when it did, it showed something completely different than what he remembered sharing.

The story featured two photos. The first an aerial view of the cityscape from the Statue of Liberty, it was almost too perfect, Johnny wasn’t sure if he the photographer for it. The second featured two hotdogs, one covered in mustard, sauerkraut and onions, the other drizzled perfectly in a mix of ketchup, mustard and relish. A poll sticker overlaid the photo with the title “Who’s better?” Johnny didn’t need to title the two hotdogs, it was clear whose hotdog was on the left. The red glove gave it away.

“Where’s the photos?” Johnny asked, quickly closing out of the story and went to search his camera roll. There were no gold balloons. No champagne. No cupcakes. No party.

He stopped and slowly scrolled through his feed, stopping to look at a selfie. It looked like a regular Johnny Storm brand selfie, but it was the other person that caught his eye. Spider-Man with his masked rolled up and his lips pressed to Johnny’s cheek.

Johnny looked genuinely happy.

He locked his phone before waking it back up.

“Hot Stuff?” Spider-Man asked. Johnny locked his phone and looked back up. He was so transfixed on the photo that he missed Spider-Man walking to him. “You okay? You’re usually – you know – more chatty. Bubbly. Kind of annoying, but like, in a cute way.”

“I –“ Johnny started, losing his train of thought as Spider-Man wrapped his arms around his waist. Johnny focused on his face. Half a face. Half a person, and yet, still so much to know. His mouth, tight with concern. God, he’s so cute. This can’t be real. Johnny’s got to wake up from this dream. Maybe he hit his head and he’s concussed. He’s got to be in the hospital. That would explain the bright light. “It’s my birthday.”

Spider-Man grinned. “It’s your birthday!”

He kissed Johnny again. Johnny kissed back. Dream. Concussion. Whatever it was, he wanted this. Johnny yelped as Spider-Man picked him up and carried him across the room. Spider-Man laughed. An honest laugh. A gorgeous laugh. Johnny couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“C’mon. We have a whole day planned. Sue’s making brunch, we got a date and dinner plans. Then there’s the party you dreamed about,” Spider-Man dropped Johnny on the bed, then filled in the empty space between them. Johnny gasped a quick complaint about the flowers, attempting to save them from whatever destruction Spider-Man was attempting to do. “And we still need to finish decorating. We hung the garlands and set the tables, but we still need to put that tank of helium to good use.”

“We are not going to inhale that,” Johnny said without missing a beat. “That’s for the balloons.”

“And one funny voice?” Spider-Man asked. “Franklin would love it.”

“We will think about it,” Johnny said. “Come on, these flowers need a vase before you become the ultimate menace and squash them.”

\---

If Johnny was going to have to experience this dream, this hallucination, this simulation, whatever it was, he was going to enjoy it.

He took Spider-Man’s hand and pulled him down the hall. Their fingers interlocked perfectly, as if they’ve done it before countless of times. Spider-Man laughed, his voice echoed down the hall. When the stopped in the entrance way, Spider-Man kissed his cheek before letting go and searching the cabinets.

Johnny just wished this was all real.

“What are you looking for?”

“A vase,” Spider-Man said, pulling a vase from underneath the sink. He filled it partially with water. “For your flowers.”

“Right,” Johnny said, his eyes finally catching the serving tray full of cupcakes on the kitchen island. A single cupcake sat in front of the tray. A single candle laid on the counter next to it. Johnny stepped toward Spider-Man, setting the flowers into the vase, his attention glued to the cupcakes.

The same cupcakes from last night, exactly how he left them.

“What’s with the cupcakes?” Johnny asked.

“Your birthday,” Spider-Man laughed, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

“And the candle?”

“Again,” He laughed. “Your birthday. Why are you being so weird?”

“I –“ _Think something’s not right_. _Not completely sure what’s going on. Don’t believe this is real_. “Think I hit my head last night.”

“Maybe Reed needs to check you out,” Spider-Man said, setting the flowers on the counter. Spider-Man wrapped his arms around Johnny’s waist, resting his head on Johnny’s shoulder. “We did have that big fight with Mole Man yesterday.”

“Wait, what –“

“Uncle Johnny! Spidey!”

Spider-Man and Johnny turned. Johnny had little time to response to catch Franklin. But nothing was new, Franklin knows his uncle will never drop him. Johnny hugged Franklin, as if he wasn’t weirded out by the cupcakes just moments before. Franklin was pretty good at making Johnny forget his problems.

“Happy birthday, Uncle Johnny!” Franklin cheered, hugging Johnny’s neck before climbing over to Spidey’s arms. “Light your candle! Let’s eat cupcakes!”

“I don’t know if your mom wants us to eat cupcakes for breakfast,” Johnny said. Spider-Man ruffled Franklin’s hair.

“She said it was okay,” Franklin pleaded. “I promise.”

“She did,” Spider-Man said. “We all talked about it last night, remember?”

“Yeah.” No. He didn’t. Johnny picked up the candle, pushing it gently into the cupcake. He ignited his finger, lighting the candle’s wick. “Right.”

The small flame danced, almost in celebratory. Johnny has everything he wanted — he’s not sure how, but he thinks he has Spider-Man wrapped around his finger. And he doesn’t even know his —

“Make a wish!” Franklin said. “Blow out the candle before all the magic is gone.”

A shiver ran down Johnny’s spine. He closed his eyes and blew out the single candle.

He wasn’t even sure what to wish for, since it seems like all of his dreams have come true.

“Happy birthday!” Franklin cheered. Spider-Man sat him down on a barstool. Franklin reached for a cupcake and took a bite of it.

Johnny handed a cupcake to Spider-Man before pulling the candle out of his cupcake and licked the frosting off.

“See! I know how to make you happy.”

Johnny dropped the candle. This was much more than just déjà vu. “What?”

“I know how to make you happy,” Franklin said, not missing a beat. He took a big lick of the butter cream frosting. “You said yesterday that I always know how to make you happy, and I did.”

“You did,” Johnny repeated, truly unsure if he meant it as a question or confirming his suspicions.

“I did,” Franklin gave a toothy smile. “Cupcakes for breakfast!”

“Right,” Johnny laughed breathily. He reached over and ruffled Franklin’s hair. “A delicious idea, huh, Spidey?”

“Right,” Spider-Man said with his mouth full.

Johnny took a bite of his cupcake.

A simulation would’ve been better.

Hell, even a hallucination or a coma-induced dream would’ve been a lot easier to pull out of.

But if Johnny’s suspicions were right, he was stuck in a pocket universe, created by Franklin.

And he’s not so sure if he wants to even get out.

\----

After an entire morning that felt like straight fiction, flying through the city with Spider-Man at his side made sense. Johnny felt like he finally found his rhythm again. It’s not that he doesn’t like the idea of being flung into a relationship with his best friend – it’s literally his dream come true. It’s the “being flung into” part he was still struggling with.

But up here? Cracking jokes and racing through the sky? This felt right.

That was, until Johnny spot a fire in the distance.

“Spidey!” Johnny called out.

There was always a strong connection between the two, even in Johnny’s universe. Sometimes, it was almost as if they had a telepathic connection. Johnny didn’t have to say much more than that to pull Spider-Man in a new direction.

The flames engulfed the apartment building, starting halfway up. Firefighters have already started to work to extinguish the fire, but there was still so much more.

Spider-Man swung into the building without hesitation.

Johnny followed down, stopping short of the top floor.

Johnny could never do what Spider-Man does. He could never pull someone from a burning building.

But he could pull the fire from the building.

Johnny took a deep breath and focused on the heat. He pulled his shoulders back, pulling the flames with him. He inhaled deeply, feeling the warmth pull inside him, until he could pull no more.

Johnny softly huffed. Smoke filled the space in front of him, like a breath in the middle of winter.

He swallowed, attempting to hold himself together. He could feel the tremor in his hands. The way he floated in the air started to become unsteady. He pulled too much too quickly.

He had to let go.

Johnny flew above the building complex, out of all harm’s way and let go, burning off that excess heat.

Except he burned as quickly as he took in.

He let go, attempting to flame on to lower himself down – suddenly, unable to flame on.

He started to fall.

Fast.

There was a moment that irony laughed at him. Laughed at the face of his death, on his birthday nonetheless, due to flaming on too hard and too fast.

Something hit him – sideways.

Johnny grabbed instinctively, suddenly aware of his surroundings and his sudden change of direction.

“You know,” Spider-Man said. “When you said it was your star birthday, I didn’t realize that meant you wanted to be a falling star.”

“Funny,” Johnny breathed, somehow still breathing smoke when he felt cold – _when_ _he felt the lack of heat. _Johnny hasn’t been able to feel cold since the incident, but coming off a high heat felt as cold as he could get.

Spider-Man set Johnny down on a fire escape across the street, several floors high, away from most cameras and civilian eyes.

“Wait here,” Spider-Man said.

“No, let me help you,” Johnny said weakly. “C’mon, I can –“

“You’re too worn out,” Spider-Man said. “You got most of the fire. Just – Just wait. Catch your breath. I’ll be right back. Just, don’t set this building on fire, okay?”

And off Spider-Man went.

Leaving Johnny alone with a clear view the scene.

A camera’s shutter went off, pulling Johnny’s attention below him.

A familiar photographer stood below him on the next level down, camera pointed toward the scene. There was no way that he didn’t catch the patheticness of Johnny being carried away from the fire he was trying to extinguish. Johnny leaned his head back against the wall. Maybe if he didn’t acknowledge the photographer, he’d feel sorry for him instead.

“You’re pretty lucky,” He said. Maybe he did feel sorry for him.

Except Johnny pushed his luck. “Lucky?”

“Yeah.” The shutter went off again. “The Bugle is so focused on making Spider-Man a villain, that they’re not focused on your sad ass.”

“He’s not a villain,” Johnny snapped. “I figured you would know that. He’s out there saving lives every day and those journalists are worse than tabloids and gossip blogs.”

“Or maybe,” He slipped the strap of his camera over his shoulder. “Maybe, he’s lucky one. He’s got a guy that cares about him. Someone who lives in such secrecy that he wears a mask while he saves people. The Bugle frames him as a menace, and yet, you’re still with him.”

He climbed up the ladder, to Johnny’s level. He leaned against the railing, giving Johnny a full view of him. His hair always seemed to be in a permanent state of bedhead. His eyes somehow soft and staring through him at the same time. Johnny followed his crooked nose down to his sly smile.

God, Johnny hated Peter Parker.

“Jameson says the mask is what keeps him from being a hero – it’s what separates him from being on the payroll of the NYPD. But, obviously, it’s much more than that. But, you get it, you get to see his face. You know him for who he really is,” Peter said. “Unlike the rest of us, who only see half of his face through your Instagram.”

“So you follow me,” Johnny said, strangely. He needed to change the subject, fast. “On Instagram?”

“You trend a lot,” He shrugged, stepping towards the ladder. He gave a half-hearted whistle. “A New York celebrity. He is the lucky one.”

“Him?”

“Yeah, not everybody gets to kiss a hot celebrity,” Peter said, climbing down the ladder. “I gotta go. I got deadlines to meet, and if your boyfriend meets me, I’m probably going to be the deadline.”

“Be the deadline?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” Peter laughed. It was a gorgeous laugh. Johnny couldn’t help but smile. “I’m pretty sure Spidey won’t take too kindly to me flirting with you.”

Johnny leaned over the railing to look at Peter. “We’re not flirting –“ He moved to the ladder to follow Peter better. “_You’re_ not flirting.”

“You’re right,” Peter said, turning to face Johnny as soon as he planted on his level. Peter poked him in the chest. “_We’re_ not flirting. And that’s exactly why you didn’t follow me down to clarify that we’re not flirting. And it’s why –“ Peter pushed up the window, crouching down to climb inside. He stopped, sitting on the window sill – one foot in, one foot still planted on the fire escape. “— You don’t care if I follow you on Instagram.”

“You’re reaching,” Johnny said. “_And_ breaking and entering. Will the Bugle put _your_ criminal face on the front page tomorrow?”

“You’re _reaching_,” Peter echoed. “This is my apartment. Now go not-flirt with someone else. Preferably, your boyfriend.” Peter swung his leg into the apartment, reaching up to shut the window and pulling it down a few inches before stopping. “Or, if you’d like, you can skip your boyfriend and come back and not-flirt with me tonight. Not like I’m doing anything.”

“I –“ Johnny stopped short of saying ‘_can’t._’ Not ‘won’t’. Not ‘will not.’ _Can’t. _“It’s my birthday. We got plans.”

“Well happy birthday, Hot Stuff,” Peter winked. “Save a birthday kiss for me.”

He pulled the window down completely before Johnny could even think about arguing. Before Johnny could even decide if he wanted to argue.

Johnny sighed and climbed up the fire escape to the highest platform and watched the action from the distance. There wasn’t much more to do. He controlled the fire and all was left was to make sure everyone was out safe. It wouldn’t be much longer before Spider-Man returned to him.

Johnny pulled out his phone and scrolled through his Instagram feed. He scrolled through his photos, each one a new adventure that he’s never experienced. Johnny has photos of _his_ Spider-Man on his Instagram, but none like this. Not in this quantity. There was no doubt that their relationship was public. And because of the amount of photos, Johnny thought they have been dating for a long time. It was almost as if they had never been apart. His heart ached for nostalgia. He wanted these memories. He wanted this life.

“Hey, Hot Stuff.”

Johnny looked up and smiled at Spider-Man, stuck to the wall beside him.

“You ready to flame on?”

Johnny snapped his fingers, creating a large enough flame to prove that he was good to go. “Name a place.”

“Hm,” Spider-Man jumped from the wall to the outside of the fire escape. He leaned against the railing and into Johnny’s face. “A race to the usual place?”

“Oh, you are so –“

Spider-Man leaned in and kissed Johnny.

By the time Johnny realized what he did – and that it wasn’t supposed to be unusual for Spider-Man to kiss him – Spider-Man had already took off.

“Cheating,” Johnny breathed. He flamed on, taking off after Spider-Man. It didn’t take long for him to catch up.

Once Spider-Man ran out of buildings to swing on, Johnny carried him across the Bay to Liberty Island and up to Lady Liberty’s torch.

It was almost kind of relieving to see that some things don’t change across universes. That the Statue of Liberty will always mean something to them, whether or not their dating. It was a place that they could confide in one another without the cares of anyone else.

“You remember when I first kissed you up here,” Spider-Man said, taking Johnny’s hand and pulling him in. He wrapped his arms around his waist. “Our first date.”

“Of course,” Johnny laughed. He had no clue. “But tell me anyway.”

“It was after a big fight between us,” Spider-Man said, dropping one hand to interlock his fingers with Johnny’s. “Over who knows what, it was always stupid shit. We set a signal to meet here, and I went off and couldn’t shut up, so I kissed you.”

“Right, sounds like you,” Johnny smiled. “Can’t shut up.”

“Rude,” Spidey laughed, rolling his mask up to his nose. He took his free hand and lifted Johnny’s chin to meet him for a kiss. “But you’re still with me, word vomit or not.”

“After all this time,” Johnny said. “And that’s been?”

Spider-Man’s cheerful smile dissolved, quickly replaced with concern. “Do you not remember? Does your head still hurt? Do we need to take you back to Reed?”

“No, I –“ Johnny ran a thumb over Spider-Man’s exposed cheek. It felt wrong to see Spider-Man this concerned over him for nothing. Johnny should tell him. He should tell him he’s not from this universe – that he’s not _his_ Johnny – if there ever _was_ a Johnny in this universe before he entered. “I’m just testing you.”

Spider-Man’s smile reappeared. “Seven years next week.” Spider-Man laughed, leaning against the railing to look out toward the city. The city always looked so far away from here. It was like their own private world here – minus a few tourists during operating hours. He turned, returning his sight back to Johnny. “I swear, I’m sure we’ve spent every anniversary up here.”

“With hotdogs and pizza?”

“Hey,” He scorned. “I brought your favorite Chinese takeout last year.”

“And I appreciate that,” Johnny laughed. “Maybe this time we will actually go to a restaurant.”

“Why would we do that?” Spider-Man smirked. “Break tradition?”

“And your wallet?” Johnny winked. “That’s what I’m here for, Webs.”

“Look at that,” Spider-Man whistled. “My own New York celebrity. How about it?”

“I –“ Johnny stumbled on his words as Spider-Man wrapped his arms around his waist. “I bet we’ll think about it, and still get hotdogs from your favorite cart.”

“Okay, but nobody’s hotdog cart is better than Dirty Al’s in Madison Square.”

“I still can’t believe you’d trust someone named Dirty Al,” Johnny laughed. “I can’t believe he’s still open.”

“I keep him in business,” Spider-Man shrugged. “It’s one of my many accomplishments.”

“What’s your others?” Johnny asked laughing. “New York’s worst eating habits? New York’s finest abs, despite the other title?”

“I got you, all to myself,” Spider-Man said, earnestly. “That seems like the biggest accomplishment of my career.”

“It couldn’t have been that hard,” Johnny said softly.

Spider-Man gently took Johnny’s chin and lifted. “Doesn’t matter, you’re still the most important person in my life.”

Johnny almost let ‘Since when?’ slip out of his mouth. The longer he thought about them together, the more he hated it. It wasn’t that he no longer wanted to be with Spider-Man, it was the complete opposite. He longed for his Spider-Man to love him as much as this one did. He wanted his Spider-Man to love him for seven years and still believe he was the most important thing in his life. It almost hurt knowing what he could have had, if only Spider-Man actually loved him.

It was almost enough to make him want to stay.

“Matchstick?” Spider-Man said. “You feeling okay?”

“Maybe I should talk to Reed,” Johnny running his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.”

\----

Johnny flew them back to the mainland, from there, Spider-Man took over. He wouldn’t let Johnny fly anymore, not with a potential concussion. He wrapped his arm around Johnny and started swinging back to the Baxter Building. Johnny tightened his grip around Spider-Man, burying his face into Spider-Man’s shoulder, before finding a sense of comfort in the rhythm of his swings. He was started to enjoy it by the time they reached the Baxter Building.

Johnny was hoping to speak to Reed alone, to mention the portal to this universe and discuss with him his options. (Except Johnny knew his options from Reed’s perspectives: don’t touch anything and return home.) But Spider-Man stuck to his side during the entire exam. Johnny couldn’t say that this wasn’t his universe — not in front of Spider-Man.

“I can tell you overexerted yourself,” Reed said. “But that seems fresher than our encounter with Mole Man.”

“There was a building on fire,” Johnny said.

“About an hour ago,” Spider-Man said. “Johnny absorbed most of the flames.”

“And released too quickly,” Reed said, nodding. “As far as I can see, that seems to be the only thing that could cloud your judgement. It doesn’t appear like you have a concussion from last evening. Did you sleep at all last night?”

“I— uh,” Johnny stumbled as he tried to remember if he even slept between the portal falling and finding himself in his bed in another universe.

“That’s a no,” Spider-Man said. “Come on, Hot Stuff, let’s get you to bed. You got a party tonight and you need to be well rested.”

Johnny was hesitant to give in. He wanted to talk to Reed, and Reed alone, but as soon as Spider-Man took his hand and interlocked their fingers, he caved. Maybe a nap would be good for him, clear his head.

Spider-Man lead him out of the lab and into the elevator, somehow managing to talk the entire way. Even in his own private universe, Spider-Man still fought for every word.

The closer they got to his room, the more Johnny didn’t want to sleep. He felt like a toddler as he planned on arguing with Spider-Man about nap time and trying to convince him an ice latte from the coffee shop down the block was a better idea.

“Let’s just go out for a bit,” Johnny said as he tugged on his arm playfully. “For some fresh air.”

“No, Reed’s right, you should try to sleep,” Spider-Man said, pulling Johnny along.

“Spidey —“

Johnny yelped as Spider-Man scooped him over his shoulder, carrying him into his room. His surprised noise turned to laughter as Spider-Man plopped Johnny amongst the pillows, landing next to him. “See? Not so bad.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said. “And not too bad of a view.”

Spider-Man laughed, wrapping his arms around Johnny’s waist and pulling him toward the center of the bed. “Sleep.”

“It’s not that easy,” Johnny laughed as he laid his head against Spider-Man’s chest. It could be that easy now. Johnny’s always dreamt of falling asleep on Spider-Man, but never thought about how comforting it would be. Spider-Man’s steady, slow heartbeat was calming. He ran his gloved fingers up and down Johnny’s back, almost moving more for him than it was for Johnny. But Johnny found it lulling nonetheless.

In a way, Spider-Man was almost too overwhelming. Johnny found it soothing, drifting to sleep.

A weird, echoing swooshing noise woke Johnny up. He glanced up, looking towards the door to see a bright light flashed quickly through the crack of the door.

His ride home.

Johnny carefully slipped out of bed, slowly approaching the door.

He knew what he needed to do.

He needed to go through it and return home. Act like nothing has changed and he just didn’t find his dream-come-true. Return to his life of longing for his best friend, never truly receiving the love he wanted from him. He grasped the door knob, hesitant to open the door and go back to his own life.

He knew that’s what he’s supposed to do.

“Johnny?” Spider-Man called sleepily. “Where are you going?”

Johnny pushed the door shut.

He turned around, rubbing his eyes and walked back to Spider-Man, crawling back into bed with him.

“The door was creaking,” Johnny lied, finding his spot in Spider-Man’s arms again. “Couldn’t sleep with it making noise.”

“Hm,” Spider-Man said, tucking Johnny under his chin. “Well I couldn’t sleep when you weren’t here.”

“Right,” Johnny laughed. “Which is why I woke up with you this morning.”

“Crime doesn’t stop at midnight,” Spider-Man shrugged. “You’re welcome to join me to stop a 3AM mugging, Firefly. How’s your head doing?”

“Better,” Johnny said. He wasn’t sure how much sleep they got, but assumingly enough for Johnny to sleep whatever-he-had-wrong-with-his-head off.

“Great,” Spider-Man said, pressing a kiss to the top of Johnny’s head. “We better go get ready. You said it yourself, you only have one star birthday in your life, we better make it a good one.”

“Right,” Johnny said. “We better make it a good one.”

The party was picture perfect.

Gold and white balloons surrounded the Baxter Building’s event space. Champagne bubbles overflowed onto the tower of glasses. Waiters carried trays of hors d'oeuvres to the guests. The music was so loud, Johnny almost had to shout to hear Spider-Man on his arm. A gorgeous cupcake display lined the far windows with the perfect view of New York City.

Everything was perfect for a star birthday.

Except it wasn’t.

Spider-Man kept Johnny busy and active. They had smiles on their faces and laughed all night. Johnny even got to dance with Spider-Man. They were surrounded by friends — well, this universe’s friends — and other big names celebrities.

Johnny should be happy.

Except everything felt wrong.

Even though this was all his idea, his plans, _the same party from yesterday_, it still felt fake.

It didn’t feel right and he still felt empty.

There had to be something more than this.

It was just not something he would find here.

“I’m going to go for some fresh air,” Johnny attempted to tell Spider-Man over the music. He gestured over his shoulder to the window, to help get the point across without yelling anymore than he had to. Spider-Man nodded and pressed a quick kiss against Johnny’s cheek. His hand slowly slid down Johnny’s arm, before giving a gentle squeeze to his hand. Johnny nodded, and slipped away from the party to the balcony.

He stepped out of sight of the party before flaming on and flying through the sky.

He needed a moment to clear his mind, to get away from all the noise, to get away from – Spider-Man. Well, the idea that he wanted to stay here because of Spider-Man.

Johnny knew he wanted to fight his way home – to his own family.

Back to a world where Spider-Man doesn’t love him.

Johnny shot straight up and burned out his frustrations in a fury.

He loved his family, he would never want to leave them. But he has a family here, too. Same family – even created by Franklin himself. So why couldn’t he stay?

He calmed down, drifting down to a fire escape. He leaned against the brick wall and slid down until he sat on the metal landing. He took a breath and exhaled. He would return to the party shortly. He just needed some fresh air.

“You always make a show like this when you don’t get your way?” A voice called from below.

Johnny huffed. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Peter but, somehow, the words were already falling out of his mouth. “No, apparently, it’s only when I get my way.”

“That’s one way to show appreciation,” Peter said, leaning over the guard rail to attempt to talk up to Johnny. “I guess.”

Johnny laughed. He stood up and climbed down two flights of the fire escape to get to Peter’s level. “I guess,” He repeated. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here,” Peter said, gesturing to the window. “Remember? What are you doing here?”

“Burning off frustration,” Johnny said. He knew he shouldn’t go into detail – he hardly even knows _his own_ _universe’s_ Peter, let alone this one. And yet, here he stood outside Peter’s apartment, where he saw him earlier today, then somehow made it back to the very same apartment building. A magnetic pull that he couldn’t — _wouldn’t_ — explain.

“You don’t make any sense, Storm,” Peter laughed. “First you’re getting your way but you’re still burning off frustration. What gives?”

Johnny started to sigh, still frustrated. “I don’t – wait, you science, right?” He perked up, pointing vigorously at Peter. Maybe that’s why felt the need to come back. “You’re a scientist or something – at least you were on my universe. A science teacher, or a sub, or something.”

“Remember when I said that you weren’t making any sense?” Peter wrinkled his brow. “Yeah, you’re still not making any sense.”

“But you science?” Johnny suggested.

“I – yeah, I science,” Peter gave in.

“Good, alright,” Johnny sighed. He tried to figure out where he needed to start, but there was so much he needed to cover, and he wasn’t sure where to start. Did he need to clarify that his nephew is a mutant? Or that he’s deeply in love with Spider-Man, who doesn’t love him at home? Johnny sighed again. “Alright.”

“You going to start making sense any time soon?” Peter laughed. “Or should I make coffee while we wait?”

“Coffee would be good,” Johnny nodded. “Can we actually –“ Johnny gestured to the window. “Go somewhere private?”

“Right,” Peter said, pushing the window completely open and climbing in. He extended his hand out to Johnny to help him into the apartment. “Don’t want to get caught by your knight in shining spandex, do we?”

“Yeah,” Johnny said softly. He took Peter’s hand and climbed through the window. He wasn’t sure what he was truly expecting for Peter’s apartment, but somehow it still surprised him. It wasn’t messy – well, too messy – and it wasn’t extravagant, it was just, normal. He guessed. But he kind of liked it.

“Is he your issue?” Peter wrinkled his brow. “Is he too strong? Too handsome? Too perfect? Does he save too many people?”

“Sounds like you’re the one who’s in love with him,” Johnny laughed.

“Are you not?” Peter raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not like that,” Johnny said. “It’s just – coffee. It might be a long story.”

“Right,” Peter rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to start a cup of coffee. “Make yourself at home.”

“Right, thanks,” Johnny said, stepping over some textbooks to get to the couch. “You in college?”

“Working on my masters,” Peter said, scooping out Folgers into the machine. Johnny wrinkled his nose, but he guessed he shouldn’t expect much more when he barged in on him. “Chemical engineering.”

“And you’re a photographer at the Bugle too?”

“I thought you came in to tell me about your problems,” Peter laughed as he started the machine. He leaned against the counter, waiting for the coffee and watching Johnny.

“It’s … relevant,” Johnny said, toying with his words. “You are a man of science, and it relates to my story.”

“Oh, I’m a man of science now?” Peter scoffed as he leaned off the counter to look for two clean mugs. “No longer do I just science, I’m a man of it.”

“Shut up,” Johnny said, with a faint laugh at the back of his throat. Something about this felt familiar, felt right. Johnny let the feeling pass. “It’s important.”

“Okay,” Peter shrugged. He poured the coffee into the mugs and brought them over to Johnny. He sat down next to him and handed him the mug. Johnny almost wanted to laugh at the Spider-Man mug, but couldn’t find the heart. “What’s so important that you took five minutes before you even could start telling me?”

“I —“ Johnny hesitated, trying to find the best place to start. “My birthday was yesterday.”

“Today.”

“No, yesterday,” Johnny clarified. “I threw this big party at the Baxter Building and a lot of people came. Everyone, except Spider-Man. I … I love him, I really do, but he doesn’t love me back. Or he doesn’t show it.”

“He has a funny way of not showing it,” Peter said, half heartedly.

“_My_ Spider-Man never showed it,” Johnny clarified. “I’ve spent years with him, crushing on him without him even noticing. Or if he noticed, he ignored it. So, he doesn’t show up to my party and it hurts. It shouldn’t, but it does. So, I go home, complain to my sister and nephew, then as soon as I go to bed, there’s this weird flash of light outside my room. I go investigate and —“

“You would die in a horror movie.”

“Besides the point,” Johnny said plainly. “I go and investigate and get sucked in. I wake up, in my own bed, and Spider-Man’s there and then he kissed me. He tells me it’s my birthday and for most of the day I felt insane, until I remember my nephew —“

“Can make universes,” Peter finished.

“Yeah,” Johnny said. “How did you know that?”

“I’ve worked with Reed for a while, remember —“ Peter stopped, before correcting himself. “No you wouldn’t remember, you’re not from this universe.”

“But _my_ Peter — the Peter from my universe worked with Reed, too,” Johnny said. “Not for very long, somehow we kept bumping into each other and bumping heads.”

“That was my doing here,” Peter admitted. “Kind of liked seeing you, and when you got frustrated, it was kind of cute.”

“Shut up,” Johnny laughed, bumping his shoulder into Peter’s. Johnny looked at his coffee, watching the ringlets settle. He took a sip of his coffee. “How long have we’ve been friends here?”

“Friends is a loose term,” Peter said. “But about seven years.”

“Just as long as I’ve been dating Spider-Man,” Johnny said, more to himself then Peter. “Am I wrong for wanting to stay here?”

“What?”

“I kind of want to stay,” Johnny said, softly. “I know I shouldn’t — I really shouldn’t — but I really like him. And here, he likes me. My family is … they’re here. So why shouldn’t I stay?”

“Do you want a logical or an emotional answer?”

“Both,” Johnny said. “Well, maybe neither.”

Johnny knew the answer. He knew he shouldn’t stay. It’s not his home, not his universe, not his family. Whether or not they act the same and they feel the same, they’re not his family. He shouldn’t give up his family just so he could have someone who didn’t love him in the first place. Plus, Reed has never been sure how stable Franklin’s universe actually were. He’s always warned against staying in them for too long, before they diminished or tore a hole through reality. Franklin’s powerful, but he’s still young and not completely in control of his powers, the pocket universes shouldn’t be trusted.

“Why did you come here?”

“Where?”

“Here,” Peter said. “To me.”

“It just … felt right,” Johnny said, relapsing through his thoughts. It wasn’t the apartment that felt right or a conversational déjà vu, it was Peter that felt familiar — it was Peter that felt right. “You. You felt right.”

“I felt right,” Peter repeated before laughing. “To the man that you literally have to pry away from Spider-Man.”

“I really can’t explain it.”

“Is he the same person under the mask?” Peter asked. “I mean, between your universe and ours. Is he the same guy?”

“Well —“

“You don’t have to tell me who he is,” Peter said. “I’ve worked with him, I get it.”

“It’s just that —“ Johnny hesitated, trying to find the right way to say he doesn’t know. He didn’t even think of asking Spider-Man to show his face at all today. He just wore his mask, raising it to his nose and not a centimeter higher. Johnny didn’t even think of it being odd until now. “I’ve never seen his face. Here or at home.”

“Really?” Peter asked. “You’ve been friends with him forever and you still haven’t seen his face?”

“He can show me when he’s ready,” Johnny said, a little snippy. At least, that’s the excuse he could give for his Spider-Man. It was this universe’s Spider-Man that felt … strange. He almost felt too perfect. In a city where the Daily Bugle shat on him every day, calling him a menace, where people you save aren’t sure whether to thank you or to run away in fear, Spider-Man still acted Johnny like he was the only thing in the world. But that was the thing, it felt like an act, it felt too perfect. It didn’t feel like the Spider-Man he knew.

“Can I be honest?”

“Yeah,” Johnny nodded. “Sure.”

“I want you to go home,” Peter said. “To your universe.”

“What?” Johnny asked. “Why?”

“Because I can’t have you here,” Peter said. “But if you’re not dating Spider-Man there, then maybe _that_ me could be smart enough to ask you out first.”

“Why couldn’t it work here?”

“Because of him,” Peter said. “It just — it’s like I know you guys are supposed to be together, so I can’t do anything about it.”

“_You_ can’t do anything about it?” Johnny almost wanted to laugh. The Peter he knew thought he was hot stuff, and that was true. He could be rude, arrogant, stubborn, and full of himself. He almost always has someone wrapped around his arm, it almost seemed impossible that Peter would have time to even think about liking Johnny. That was the Peter he ran into earlier today, and _he_ can’t find the strength to really make a move? “You sure about that?”

Peter leaned forward and kissed Johnny.

Johnny never thought Peter could be gentle. “Gentle” and “Peter” always felt like antonyms to him. But yet, his lips were soft and his kiss was sweet. It left Johnny wanting more when Peter pulled away with an apology at his lips. Johnny leaned forward, catching the words with his lips as he kissed Peter again.

His kiss with Peter felt different than this morning’s kiss with Spider-Man.

This.

This felt right.

Spider-Man kissed him almost as if Johnny wasn’t there — that it was an action that was supposed to happen, but he didn’t have to put much feeling into it. It almost felt unreal.

Peter kissed him as if Johnny was the only thing that mattered to him. That if he let go of him, Johnny would be swept up and stolen away.

Peter kissed Johnny like Johnny wanted Spider-Man to kiss him.

Peter broke away from the kiss. He stayed close, not wanting to pull away from Johnny. He ran his hand down Johnny’s arm, gently squeezing when he reached Johnny’s hand. “You good, Hot Stuff?”

“I want to stay,” Johnny said.

“For him?” Peter leaned back.

Johnny closed the gap between them, kissing Peter once more. “For you.”

“You know you can’t,” Peter said. “You know what Reed would say.”

“I’m sure I’ve already broke a couple of Reed’s multiverse rules already.”

“Go home,” Peter said, he brought his hand up to cup Johnny’s cheek. “Find me, and I swear I’ll never let go.”

“What if I can’t go home?” Johnny asked. “What if I’m stuck here?”

“Then come back and find me,” Peter said. He ran his fingers gently across Johnny’s jaw to his chin, gently guiding him to a kiss. “I’ll hold you for as long as he will let me.”

“He?” Johnny asked. “Spider-Man?”

“He’s not going to let go of you easily,” Peter said. “But I’m not going to either.”

Johnny closed his eyes and nodded. Johnny really wasn’t sure why he came out to Peter’s apartment. He really wasn’t sure why he thought Peter would be the best one to ask what he should do. But he’s more confused than when he first arrived here. That’s for sure. “What if you don’t like me there either?”

“I’d be surprised.”

“But what if,” Johnny asked. “That’s how I left my universe.”

“It took me seven years before I kissed you,” Peter said, running his hand down Johnny’s arm. “Give me seven and a half.”

“What if I can’t return?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions,” Peter laughed halfheartedly. “You made it here in the first place. Surely you can make it back a second time. You’re smart.”

“I’m not,” Johnny said honestly.

“You’re smarter than you give yourself credit,” Peter said. “Then we all give you credit. You’ll find a way to find what you want.”

“And what if I want is you?” Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll find a way,” Peter repeated. “Now go find Franklin’s portal.”

“Hopefully, it’s where I left it,” Johnny said. He hesitantly walked to the window, fighting any fleeting desire to stay. He pushed the window back up and started to climb out of it.

“Hey.”

Peter stood up and went to Johnny, pressing a gentle goodbye against his lips. “I know your birthday was yesterday, but I hope you still saved a birthday kiss for me in your universe.”

Johnny chuckled. “Bye, Peter.”

“See you later, Hot Stuff.”

\-----

Johnny flew back to the Baxter Building, avoiding the party all together, and returned to his bedroom.

He knew Franklin’s portals weren’t stable. They weren’t likely to come back in a pattern, but he knew they would, at the least, appear in the same spot. It was just the matter of when.

He opened his bedroom door and sighed.

Nothing.

He guessed this was some sort of irony. It was the most he wanted to return home, and yet, the portal wouldn’t appear.

He pushed the door partially shut and walked across the room, running his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

He just wanted to go home to his family.

The weird, echoing swooshing filled the room. He turned around, looking towards the door to see the bright light flash quickly through the crack of the door.

He sighed in relief.

He rushed over and opened the door, feeling the pull of the portal start to bring him home.

“Johnny?”

Johnny looked back at Spider-Man, perched at the window.

“What are you doing?” He leaped toward Johnny.

“This isn’t my home,” Johnny said, his hand resting on the door knob, hesitantly. His only hold between the two worlds and it’s focused on a brass knob.

“I know.”

“I gotta –“ Johnny stopped. “You know?”

“I know,” Spider-Man said. “I had hunches earlier that something was wrong, but I can’t lose you.”

“Spidey –“

He webbed Johnny’s hand to the door knob. “I can’t lose you again.”

“W-what,” Johnny asked. “What do you mean again?”

“Franklin said that he could have you come back,” Spider-Man said. “That you would love me again.”

“What the fuck,” Johnny breathed.

“I know,” Spider-Man said. “I – I didn’t mean for this to be like this. For you to know. And somehow you still found Parker.”

“What, the fuck,” Johnny breathed again.

“Johnny, you can’t leave,” Spider-Man said, reaching out for his hand. “I love you. You can’t leave.”

“But I’m not the Johnny that you love,” Johnny said, feeling as if he bit his tongue as the words came out. “I can’t be.”

“Please, Johnny –“

Johnny ignited, burning the webs on his hands and pulled himself back into the portal.

The bright white quickly faded into nothingness.

Johnny quickly afraid he fucked up, finding himself in purgatory rather than home.

Air quickly flooded his lungs. He gasped, leaning off his bed, covered in sweat.

He groaned, slamming his head back into his pillow.

It was just a dream.

Franklin’s tiny voice yell down the hall.

“He’s back! He’s back!” Johnny lifted his head, just in time for Franklin to burst through the door and jump onto his bed. “I knew you would come back.”

“Always for you,” Johnny wrapped his arms around Franklin. So he was gone. Noticeably gone. “Did you miss me?”

“Tons,” Franklin buried his head into Johnny’s chest, holding him as tight as he could.

“Johnny.”

Sue stood in the doorway, with Reed lurching behind her as the rest of his body caught up to them.

“Hi sis,” Johnny said, with a small smile. Johnny knew he screwed up by leaving, even if it was accidental in the first place, but he really screwed up by not coming back the first time the portal reappeared. All he needed to confirm it was the look on Sue’s face before she rushed to his side and pulled him into a hug.

“You were gone,” Sue said.

“I know,” Johnny said apologetically.

“For seven days.”

“What?” Johnny pulled back from Sue, just enough to look at her. “It was hardly a full day.”

“Time flows differently in some universes,” Reed said, from the door way. “And I’m sure the travel between the two universes wasn’t the quickest either.”

“It felt quick,” Johnny said, but truly he didn’t know. “You know I was in another universe?”

“Franklin told us about your _birthday_ _present_,” Sue said. “He tried to bring you home.”

“I couldn’t find you,” Franklin apologized.

“That’s okay, buddy, I know you tried,” Johnny said, pressing a kiss to the top of Franklin’s head. Johnny looked up at Reed. “Do we have to go to your lab?”

“If you know the answer, do we need to ask?”

Johnny sighed.

Franklin reluctantly went with Ben to prepare breakfast as Johnny brought Sue and Reed up to speed as they went to the lab for general tests.

He did neglect to tell them that he considered staying multiple times and the lingering thoughts of returning back.

“I think I was missing,” Johnny said as he watched the screens monitor his vitals. “That me, in Franklin’s universe.”

“What brought you to that conclusion?” Reed said, his attention stuck on the screens, searching for any deviations.

“Spider-Man told me he couldn’t lose me again,” Johnny said. “But it didn’t make sense. It didn’t seem like I was gone. Nobody acted surprised that I was there. We even had my birthday party.”

“Strange,” Reed said. “Franklin is getting older, maybe his powers are getting more advanced.”

“Johnny, I want you to be careful,” Sue said.

“Sue I didn’t mean to go into –“

“Not that,” Sue said. “With Spider-Man.”

“What do you mean,” Johnny said hesitantly. Part of him knew where this conversation was going, and he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Vitals are looking normal,” Reed said.

“I don’t want you to get hurt with him,” Sue said. “Thinking that you’re getting into something that you had there, in Franklin’s universe.”

“I – I need to go,” Johnny said, pulling the dermal monitor wires off his arms. The last thing he wanted to hear from his sister was, ‘don’t get hurt if Spider-Man doesn’t love you back.’ “I want to go flying for a bit.”

“Johnny,” Sue said, worried. “Hey, I didn’t mean –“

“I know you didn’t.”

“You just got back,” Sue said.

“I’ll be quick,” Johnny hugged Sue. Her arms wrapped around him tightly. “I just need some fresh air. I’m not going anywhere or doing anything stupid. I promise.”

\-----

Johnny flew through the sky, attempting to clear his mind. He knew he shouldn’t want to go back, everyone he needs are here. His family is here. Everything _mostly_ made sense here. But he couldn’t shake the universe from his thoughts.

“Matchstick!”

Johnny sped up.

“Torch!”

Spider-Man was the last person he wanted to see.

“Johnny!”

Johnny stopped abruptly.

Spider-Man stuck to the wall of the building next to him. Johnny crossed his arms, waiting. They stood silently. Johnny wasn’t sure what he wanted, but Johnny wanted nothing to do with him. Not until he forgets the other Spider-Man.

“Nothing?” Spider-Man spat, finally breaking the silence. “You disappear for a week, and I have to find out you’re back through social media?”

“I didn’t think you used social media,” Johnny said plainly.

“That’s not the point,” Spider-Man said harshly. “I didn’t know you where you were.”

“I didn’t _either_,” Johnny snapped back.

“I didn’t know that you were safe,” Spider-Man corrected. “You could’ve texted me.”

“Because that’s the first thing on my list to do.” Johnny didn’t understand why Spider-Man was so mad. Sue? Reed? Ben? He got. He shouldn’t have interacted with the portal when it first appeared, but Spider-Man doesn’t have a right to be mad at him. “Get back to this universe, text you, then maybe find my family and tell them I’m alive. Who knows, maybe I’ll grab a bite to eat.”

“You know what I — _this universe_?” Spider-Man’s tone switched from frustrated to concerned. “What do you mean ‘this universe’?”

“I don’t want to talk about it with you,” Johnny said, his flames grew wilder, preparing to take off. “Not like you care anyway.”

“Johnny.” His condensing tone felt like needles under Johnny’s skin.

“I don’t need this,” Johnny said. “I should’ve stayed.”

Johnny took off, leaving Spider-Man stuck on the wall. He could hear him call in the distance. Johnny knew he would take after him — or he would cared as much as he was leading on. But Johnny couldn’t handle it. Not today. Not after the day he has had.

Not after he learned what could’ve been.

Johnny darted between buildings, attempting to lose Spider-Man, knowing it would be hard to out run him in the first place, then to also have a trail of fire lighting his path.

Johnny flamed off, landing on a rooftop. He hid next to the roof access door. He sat down on the ground and leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes and just waited. He figured Spider-Man wouldn’t be too far behind him.

But an hour passed and he didn’t show up.

Johnny couldn’t tell if that was a blessing or a bad sign.

Maybe he just ruined a seven year long friendship by just needing space.

Maybe Spider-Man finally got the hint and let him be.

Johnny stood up and brushed the dirt off his jeans before igniting once more.

He took off burning off frustration, racing up to the sky before letting himself drift back down, landing on a fire escape. Maybe he just needed to go home and take a shower or take a car out to the speedway and just go.

He needed something to get his mind off of everything.

Johnny mindlessly climbed down the fire escape, not thinking much about it until his glance caught Peter Parker through a closed window.

_‘Go home. Find me, and I swear I’ll never let go.’_

Johnny was hesitant. What if this Peter didn’t like him at all. He already just tolerates him, would he ruin his chances all together?

Johnny knocked on the window before he could even stop himself.

Johnny saw Peter freeze before darting out of sight.

“Great,” Johnny breathed. Just the sight of him made Peter run. Johnny ran his fingers through his hair. He went to the ladder to climb up.

“Storm?” Johnny looked back. Peter leaned out the window shirtless. His permanent bedhead was poking out in every direction. His brow furrowed, as if he didn’t get why Johnny was here. But to be fair, Johnny wasn’t complete sure either. “What are you doing here?”

“I –“ Johnny hesitated. He really didn’t. He just … wanted it to happen, but clearly Peter was upset or annoyed at him already. “I was hoping we could talk.”

“About?”

“Portals and other universes,” Johnny said. Peter’s brow relaxed. Maybe, Johnny could talk to him for at least and see if he understood what happened. Peter knew Spider-Man, maybe he could convince Johnny that it was a bad idea to go back. Johnny climbed off the ladder and stepped closer to Peter. “You science, right? You’re a scientist or a teacher or something.”

“I –“ Peter pressed his lips together before nodding. “Yeah, I science.”

“Good, alright,” Johnny nodded, trying to figure out how to carry the conversation to a place he wasn’t sure he wanted to go. “Alright.”

“You going to make sense any time soon?” Peter asked. “Or should I start coffee and wait?”

“Coffee would be good,” Johnny nodded. He gestured to the window. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah – wait, hold on,” Peter shut the window on Johnny’s face. A few minutes later, Peter opened the window again, now wearing a grey ESU hoodie. “Yeah, come in.”

Johnny climbed through the window. Shivers ran through his back as he looked around Peter’s apartment. It was nearly identical to the other Peter’s apartment – just more messy. Peter worked to help tidy up he place as he made his way to the kitchen. He took dirty clothes off the couch and threw them in the hamper across the apartment. He picked up old takeout containers that Johnny was afraid to ask how long they’ve been there.

“So portals and other universes,” Peter said, dropping the containers in the trash before reaching in the cabinet for the Folgers coffee. “You gonna explain?”

“Right,” Johnny said, sitting down on the couch. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out where to start. “Yesterday was my birthday.”

“Last week,” Peter corrected.

“Right,” Johnny said. “Last week was my birthday – how did you know?”

Peter froze as he reached for a mug out of the cabinet. “I … saw your Instagram stories.”

“So you follow me on Instagram?”

“You trend a lot,” Peter said as-matter-of-factly. “So, go on. Birthday, last week, portals.”

“Before I continue, you gotta swear,” Johnny said, leaning on the back of the couch to look at Peter directly. “That anything that comes out of my mouth is top secret.”

“Are we twelve?” Peter laughed. God, it was a gorgeous laugh.

“Do you promise?”

“Do you need me to pinky swear?” Peter asked, bringing over the two cups of coffee. Johnny gave him a death glare. “Okay, okay, swear. Drink your coffee and carry on.”

“I threw a big party,” Johnny said, taking the cup of coffee. “Everyone came except … except for Spider-Man. And it hurt.”

“Doesn’t he fight crime every night?” Peter asked, almost defensively. “Wouldn’t the mask make it hard to come to your party?”

“You’re not listening,” Johnny said. “It _hurt_.” Peter tensed up like he understood. “So I told my sister, and when I told my sister, Franklin was there listening.”

“And Franklin made a universe,” Peter breathed. “Just for you.”

Johnny nodded. “I didn’t realize I walked into a portal until it was too late and Spider-Man was there, ready to celebrate my birthday. I relived my birthday with Spider-Man on my arm.”

“Did you ...” Peter hesitated. Johnny didn’t think he’s ever seen Peter hesitate before. “See who he was?”

“No,” Johnny shook his head, his head focused on the coffee in his hand. “But I think that was normal, but I don’t know. I – I don’t know what the normal was there. It wasn’t like a new universe Franklin made, and that’s what I don’t get. It’s like – he mentioned he couldn’t lose me, not again. But it’s the ‘not again’ that I don’t get.”

“Not again,” Peter repeated. “Like his Johnny disappeared.”

“He said Franklin could bring me back,” Johnny said. “I think I was dead.”

Johnny looked up at Peter, realized his focus was glued on him, studying him as he told the story. “Dead,” Peter said quietly. “And his Franklin brought you back.”

“I think so, but it doesn’t make sense,” Johnny said. “If I was dead, there shouldn’t have been a party planned. It was ready to go – it wasn’t last minute.”

Peter nodded, thinking. Johnny noticed he pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed again. It was cute. “What if,” Peter said, turning his focus back to Johnny. “What it Franklin did tap into some other universe – a universe where you were _missing_.”

“Then everyone should’ve been freaked out by me,” Johnny said. “Nobody freaked out at me.”

“Spider-Man could’ve told everyone at the party –“

“You weren’t at the party,” Johnny clarified. “You weren’t freaked out by me.”

“I was there?” Peter asked.

“Yeah,” Johnny said, before laughing. Peter’s brow furrowed. “I think that’s how I found you now.”

“What if the universe patched itself,” Peter said. “It mended the gaps between you and the universe – fixing anything that could have been broken. Including a giant gaping Johnny sized hole.”

“That – that would make sense,” Johnny said. “I mean, as much as universe jumping gets, it makes sense. That Franklin was looking for a Johnny to fill that gap, and our Franklin was looking for a way to make me happy.”

“Did it?”

“What?”

“Did it make you happy?”

Johnny looked at Peter. He was thinking again, like if his mind was moving 150 miles per hour and couldn’t slow down for curves. He almost looked concerned. Johnny nodded. “Yeah, it did. It felt nice.”

Peter nodded in silence. Johnny wanted to laugh. All it took was Johnny finding a piece of Heaven in another universe to shut Peter up.

“I wanted to stay,” Johnny said. “I hated that I wanted to stay, but I did.”

“But you came back,” Peter said.

“Because of you,” Johnny said. “You convinced me to come back and try it again.”

“And what if it doesn’t work out here?” Peter asked. “What if it doesn’t go how you want it to go?”

“He – he told me I could come back,” Johnny said, avoiding the discussion that the other Peter wanted him for himself. “But I don’t think I can do it. Not after knowing about the other Johnny.”

Peter nodded. “I’m glad you came back. It was almost too quiet without you.”

“On your Instagram feed?” Johnny laughed.

“On the Bugle gossip page,” Peter laughed, knocking his shoulder against Johnny’s. “We only ran C list celebrities all week.”

“The next time you’re having a slow news day, give me a call,” Johnny said. “I’ll wreck another car or get caught stealing champagne at some club for you.”

“I appreciate it, Firefly,” Peter smiled. “Maybe I could call you whenever it’s a slow news day in general, and we could hang out or something.”

Johnny smiled. “Yeah,” He nodded. “I’ll take you somewhere where we can get real coffee.”

“Folgers is fine,” Peter said defensively. “it’s got a good price and a good shelf life.”

“How _old_ is this coffee, Parker?”

“I stopped counting after three years.”

“I think I hate you,” Johnny laughed. He wish he could hate Peter Parker.

\-----

Johnny was sprawled out on the couch when his phone went off.

  * _Usual place?_

Johnny buried his head into the pillow before it went off a second time.

  * _Please?_

He texted back.

  * _What for?_

The texts came back almost instantly.

  * _An apology_
  * _From me._
  * _8pm?_

Johnny sent the text without thinking.

  * ok

He held his phone against his chest. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to see Spider-Man again. He could go a week without seeing him, and maybe they would both forget about this. Put it in the past and Johnny can throw his feelings back under the rug where they belonged.

But he knew Spider-Man wouldn’t let him off that easily.

Johnny arrived, right at 8. He could see Spider-Man already there, pacing back and forth as he waited. He was thinking again. Johnny slowly dropped down on Lady Liberty’s crown, catching Spider-Man’s attention. Johnny flamed off as Spider-Man approached him.

“Johnny, I’m sorry,” Spider-Man said. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you earlier. I was frustrated and worried about you. I brush you off too much and that’s put a strain on you. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Johnny wrinkled his brow. Peter must have told him, why else would he be apologizing for hurting him? “Did he tell you?”

“Johnny, listen —“

“No he swore,” Johnny ran his fingers through his hair, walking to the other side of the crown. Spider-Man wouldn’t know to apologize unless he talked to Peter. Johnny didn’t need to hear from Spider-Man that he didn’t love him, but Johnny shouldn’t go back to the other universe. “I don’t want to hear this.”

“Johnny,” Spider-Man grabbed his arm, holding it firmly. “I was at your party.”

“No you weren’t,” Johnny ruffled his brow. “I looked for you all night.”

“I didn’t realize that,” Spider-Man said. “I had a birthday present for you, and I chickened out because I thought you wouldn’t want it. But it’s better late than never, right?”

Spider-Man let go of Johnny’s arm and reached up for his mask. He pulled it off, holding the mask in his hands. Johnny’s eyes mapped his face. From the crooked nose to his soft, apologetic smile. Past his freckles to his doe eyes to his permanent state of bedhead.

“You’re kidding,” Johnny breathed. “Pete?”

“I’m sorry,” Peter took Johnny’s hand and pulled him closer. “This is a week overdue.”

Peter wrapped his arm around Johnny’s waist and kissed him.

“Happy birthday,” Peter said.

“God I’m so confused,” Johnny gave a breathy laugh. He rested his head on Peter’s shoulder. “I have so many questions.”

“Ask,” Peter said. “For you, I have all the time in the world.”

“You were at my party?”

“Yes,” Peter said. “Out of costume. I had my mask in my jacket and I was going to tell you that night, but I saw you with Wyatt and I backed out.”

“You chickened out?” Johnny laughed. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Peter said. “I just know how close you and Wyatt are, and I panicked.”

“All this time you’ve been Spider-Man?”

“The one and only.”

“So I went over to your apartment and told you I loved you without realizing I was telling you?”

“You came to my apartment and told me that being with me made you happy,” Peter said, running his hand up and down Johnny’s arm. “You also came over when I was halfway out of my suit.”

Johnny wrinkled his brow and pulled back, just enough to look at Peter’s face. “Have you been selling your selfies to the Bugle?”

“They’re self portraits and they’re well composed.”

“Did you win a Pulitzer for a selfie?”

“Shut up,” Peter laughed, catching Johnny in another kiss.

There was something different about kissing Peter — _his Peter_. It felt like laughter on a late summer night, like seeing a shooting star in a sky full of stars for the first time, like sitting on a scaffolding.

And Johnny couldn’t think of a better place to be than here with Peter.


End file.
